A preliminary outline of the course can
be found at the SCHEDULE website. Some of
this material is subject to change and this site will be constantly up-dated so
please check it before each class.

Syllabus

Required materials:

You will need :

a)The College
of Charleston Astronomy Lab manual (you may purchase it from SAS-E Ink located on
219 Calhoun Str., Charleston),

b)A
scientific calculator capable of computing exponential functions

Course Objectives:

One of the
goals of this class in combination with the associated lecture is to reveal to
you some of the wonders of our cosmos.You will learn how the scientific method is used to explain the
underlying causes behind astrophysical phenomena. The lab activities will
provide a hands-on approach to better understand the material taught in the
astronomy 130 lectures.

Specifically,
in Astronomy 130 Lab, students will learn about black body curves, find out how
emission spectra are created, confirm the law of reflection, learn about and
operate telescopes,use parallax to compute the distance to an object, observe the
different colors of stars, learn about spectral classification, learn about the
Sun, use magnitudes to compute the distance to objects, learn to use the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, learn about eclipsing and
spectroscopic binary stars, identify the morphology of galaxies and verify the
expansion of our Universe.

Astronomy 130
will also improve several general skills that will be useful for students. In
particular, the lab will enhance studentŐs teamwork skills, students will learn
the basics of collecting, analyzing and presenting scientific data, use simple
statistics to analyze data, learn how to interpret data, improve on computer
skills and learn about telescope calibration.

I recommend
that you review the material before it is presented in class. This will help
you to better understand the concepts and enjoy the class.

General Education Learning Outcomes:

1. Students
apply physical/natural principles to analyze and solve problems.

2. Students
develop an understanding of the impact that science has on society.

A more detailed description
of the learning outcomes and objectives of this course are included in Learning
Outcomes.

Attendance:

It is important that
you attend every lab since there are only 13 labs per semester and each one
therefore carries a significant fraction of your grade. Also missing a lab will
make it difficult for you to understand and carry out upcoming labs. For
example, missing the lab related to telescope setup would make it extremely
difficult for you to use the telescope in following labs that require you to
observe celestial objects. In the case that you do end up missing a lab, the
absence will have to be documented. You can miss up to one lab (documented
absence) without it affecting your final grade. Any additional labs missed, for
whatever reason, will negatively affect your final grade.

Grades:

You
will be graded for each lab. Labs reports will be completed and handed in
before you leave. I will indicate which lab reports you may collaborate on and
for which ones I expect you to complete individually. Collaboration is not
allowed on quizzes. Your number grade will be converted into a letter grade as
follows.

>85%

A

80-84%

A-

76-80%

B+

72-76%

B

68-72%

B-

64-68%

C+

60-64%

C

56-60%

C-

52-56%

D+

48-52%

D

44-48%

D-

<44%

F

Special Needs:

If you have any special needs or disabilities that
might require special arrangements to be made for any aspect of this course,
please let me know at the beginning of the semester or as soon as you become
aware of them.

Violations of the College of Charleston
Honor Code (including cheating or attempted cheating) will be referred to the
Office of Student Affairs for adjudication. Examples of cheating include
copying quiz answers and using cellular technology to communicate information
during a quiz.